Soils host a tremendous diversity of organisms that play fundamental roles in driving many ecological processes on which the functioning of terrestrial ecosystem depend on, including soil formation, nutrient and water cycling, climate regulation, production of food, medicine and fibre, disease and pest control.  In the presence of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss, soils have become one of the most vulnerable resources in the world.

Soil biodiversity is enormous but most of this diversity remains unknown. While soil biodiversity represents an important biological and genetic resource for biotechnological innovation with benefits to society, it is increasingly threatened by different forms of land degradation.

Despite the enormous scientific progress made to date, the protection and monitoring of soil resources at the national to global levels face complex challenges restricting the design and implementation of on-the-ground policies. There is insufficient global support for meeting these challenges, which vary widely by region, and therefore for the protection and sustainable management of the world’s soil resources. Regional and global assessment on the main threats and the status of soil biodiversity could help to close the knowledge gaps and inform policy makers and other stakeholders on the consequence of their actions on land use, climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services.

This open call for the establishment of the Working Group represents a response to the urgent need to develop a global and regionally contextualized assessment of the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity covering its status, as well as opportunities and challenges to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Through decision 14/30, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) invited FAO to prepare a report on the state of knowledge on soil biodiversity covering current status, challenges and potentialities. Therefore, this assessment will also provide useful guidance to the planning process in preparation for the Conference of the Parties (COP 15), to be held in China in 2020.

Contributors

The call is open for everyone interested to contribute including experts from governments, scientists and researchers, NGOs, policy makers at all levels, members of existing initiatives, and any other relevant stakeholder. As such, it falls in line with the inclusive, participatory and voluntary mandate and nature of the GSP, building on existing initiatives and institutions while bringing together all regions and countries of the world.

In case you are interested to join this working group, please send an email to Ms. Monica Kobayashi ([email protected]), copying the Global Soil Partnership Secretariat ([email protected]) by 28 June 2019.